Batman: Beginnings (2016 film)
'Batman: Beginnings '''is a 2016 film in the new Batman film franchise. It stars Ryan Gosling, Max Von Sydow, Willem Dafoe, and Leonardo DiCaprio. It was announced in 2013 that Paul Thomas Anderson will be working on the film. In the Summer of 2014, it was announced that the title of the film would be "Batman: Beginnings". Ryan Gosling and Reese Witherspoon were confirmed to star in the film in December 2014, and in early 2015 more actors were confirmed, as well as some plot details. The first trailer was shown at the San Diego Comic Con in 2015, and the film was released in November 5th, 2016. It was a box office success, and recieved mostly positive reviews. A sequel was announced shortly after the release of the film. Cast *Ryan Gosling - Bruce Wayne/Batman, a millionaire playboy who, on the anniversary of his parents' deaths, decides to fight crime to avenge his parents' deaths. He dresses up as a bat to strike fear into his enemies, and is dubbed "the Batman" by the media. *Max Von Sydow - Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler who made a promise to protect him ever since his parents died. *Willem Dafoe - Jack Nelson/The Joker, a former comedian turned criminal turned crazed murder and terrorist after a chemical accident. *Leonardo DiCaprio - James "Jim" Gordon, a rookie cop on the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) who hopes to strike a friendship with Batman. *Reese Witherspoon - Vicki Vale, a Gotham City Broadcasting newscaster who is also Bruce's suspicious girlfriend. *Donal Logue - Harvey Bullock, a cigar-smoking no-nonsense detective who also happens to be Jim's partner. Bullock is against Batman and the GCPD teaming up. *Michael Fassbender - Gillian Loeb, the aging commissioner of the GCPD, who secretly has been taking bribes from crime boss Carmine Falcone for the past 13 years. *Armie Hammer - Harvey Dent, the good and honest District Attorney to Gotham City. *Anthony Hopkins - Carmine Falcone, a crime boss who "owns" Gotham City through large drug shipments. Has been bribing the GCPD to keep their mouth shut on his crime operations. *Denzel Washington - Lucius Fox, one of Bruce's friends and a member on the Wayne Enterprises Chair Of Executives. Lucius supplies bruce with his gear and weapons to fight crime. *Margot Robbie - Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn, a former psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum turned The Joker's number one henchman, or woman. *Jackie Earle Haley - Joe Chill, a mugger who murdered Bruce Wayne's parents thirty years ago. *Jon Hamm - Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne's father who was murdered by Joe Chill. *Gwyneth Paltrow - Martha Wayne, Bruce Wayne's mother who was murdered by Joe Chill. Plot On the anniversary of his parent's death, Bruce Wayne thinks back to when mugger Joe Chill murdered both Thomas and Martha Wayne. Thus, this motivates Bruce to want to fight criminals in Gotham City, as it is ridden with crime. The next day, The Joker and his goons break into Gotham City Bank and steal millions of dollars, further motivating Bruce to fight crime. With the help of his butler Alfred Pennyworth and Wayne Enterprises board member Lucius Fox, Bruce gets a hold of a kevlar-coated suit, a light-weight cape, and a utility belt containing several gadgets. Meanwhile, rookie cop Jim Gordon and his partner Harvey Bullock are held up in the Joker case. As Harvey continues to work hard into the case, Jim focuses on a conspiracy involving police commissioner Gillian Loeb taking bribes from crime boss Carmine Falcone. As Falcone and Loeb have a meeting together, Falcone informs him that he feels as though The Joker is taking over Gotham and soon will push Falcone out of his seat as Gotham's Crime Leader. Loeb takes a bribe to make sure that The Joker will be dealt with as long as Falcone doesn't get arrested. Unbeknownst to the two, Jim is listening in on the conversation and recording it. As he turns around, he sees Bruce disguised in his suit on a rooftop and soon opens fire. Bruce escapes but is shot in his foot, gravely injuring him, and the tape of Falcone and Loeb's meeting is destroyed in the confrontation. Harvey Dent is elected as Gotham's District Attorney and vows to take down both Falcone and Joker's crime operations. While The Joker watches, he decides to target both Dent and Falcone, as he sees them as distractions in his master plan. After Dent's after party, Bruce offers funding towards Dent. After accepting, the two strike up a mutual friendship. Bruce's girlfriend Vicki then has a talk with Bruce, as he hasn't been a loyal boyfriend to her. Bruce makes up an excuse saying he's busy with Wayne Enterprises. Vicki then notices his limp from his injured foot, with Bruce lying that he hurt it exercising. Jim tries to convince Harvey that Loeb was taking bribes from Falcone, but with no proof, Harvey doesn't believe him. Right after their conversation ends, Joker breaks into the Gotham precinct and reveals to the whole group that Loeb was after all taking bribes from Falcone. After being shot in the shoulder by Loeb, Joker sends two goons to hold and rough up Loeb while Joker makes his way up towards him. He then stabs Loeb to death in front of the whole police department and cuts a smile onto his face. Bruce meanwhile has constructed a lair in a cave underneath Wayne Manor to be a base of operations for his crime-fighting lifestyle, much to Alfred's dismal. That night, Gordon makes a make-shift Bat-Signal to alert Bruce. Once arriving, Gordon tells him about the Joker incidence, and the two team up together to take down both Falcone and Joker, giving Bruce the nickname "Batman". After reporting from Gotham City Broadcasting about the death of Loeb, Vicki meets up with Bruce only to learn that Bruce is breaking up with her to devote his time towards being Batman. Lucius then supplies Bruce with a new helmet that has infra-red lenses attached to it to help when fighting crime late at night. That night, Bruce is invited to have dinner with Dent and his new girlfriend, who just so happens to be Vicki. Both Jim and Harvey are also at the restaurant as The Joker dinned there in the past. While in the middle of dinner, Joker shows up and crashes the party. After leaving through a dark alleyway, Bruce changes into his batman suit and later returns to take down The Joker. With the help from Jim and Harvey, Joker is arrested and several of the city's citizens meet Batman for the first time. With Batman now a public icon, Falcone decides to up his game considering the death of Loeb and Joker's imprisonment. Batman and Gordon decide to add Dent to their operation considering his role in the criminal justice department. Falcone plans a drug shipment at Gotham Harbor that will send the drugs across the border to Metropolis and even Midway City. However, with the help from Gordon, Dent, and Alfred, Bruce is able to stop the drug shipments and Falcone is transferred to Arkham Asylum. While in a psychiatric meeting with Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Joker tells his life story on how he became The Joker and how he rose up to power in Gotham. The Joker then activates a laughing gas bomb he planted in the room which causes Harleen to start laughing uncontrollably and later become Joker's right hand woman. The two then escape from Arkham together. After learning that Jim has been involved with helping Batman, Harvey quickly has a meeting with him and later reveals to the GCPD that Jim is working with the vigilante. This causes him to lose his badge and sends him on a path of rage and depression. After confronting Batman to tell him he was fired, two police officers find the two and Batman takes them both out. Meanwhile, Joker and Harley Quinn begin highjacking Gotham's water supply to plant laughing gas into it. It is revealed that Harvey has been an accomplice to Joker's operation getting him inside information on the water supply. Joker also killed Loeb so Harvey could rise up as Commissioner in return. Yet, Joker soon shots Harvey in the face, causing him to get distracted and fall off a rooftop to his death. Jim convinces the GCPD to let him help with evacuating the city after learning about Joker's master plan. Dent continues to help Batman on the outside while Alfred helps from the Batcave. Bruce finds Joker and Harley Quinn and suffers several injuries from Harley Quinn's hammer, however, he soon knocks her out, pushing Joker to open in hand-to-hand combat. Dent and Jim are able to transport the laughing gas infected water away from Gotham's water supply and dry it out to easily bun it. Batman later stabs Joker to the rooftop with the building blowing up, killing Joker and injuring Bruce. Bruce wakes up two days later with Batman now considered a city-wide hero. Bruce has handed over his job as Wayne Enterprises CEO to Fox, Vicki and Dent are both working together in the DA office, and Jim has been promoted to police captain. That night, Jim turns on the Bat-Signal and the film ends with Batman jumping off a rooftop to the scene. In a post-credits scene, Bruce meets up with Lucius who has designed and built a new motorcycle for Batman's aide. In an end-credits scene, Harley Quinn is sentenced to Arkham Asylum and is met by Falcone and several other inmates. She offers peace but the group refuses. Sequel After the films major success, a sequel was announced by Warner Bros. Paul Thomas Anderson would return to direct it with Christopher Nolan, Geoff Johns, and Scott Snyder writing the script. In June, 2017 Gosling stated that he would return to play Batman, and the film was scheduled for a January 11, 2019 release date, with the three writers beginning work on the script. The script was fully finished and filming began on March 3, 2018. Awards and Nominations 2017 ''Oscars Best Picture - Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay (David S. Goyer) - Won Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson) - Nominated Best Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe) - Nominated